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Posted December 11, 2000; 05:40 p.m.

by lauren

University will host the convening meeting of New Jersey's 225th Anniversary of the American Revolutionary War Celebration Commission in Nassau Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 13. The 10 a.m. meeting, which is open to the public, will be chaired by Secretary of State DeForest B. Soaries, Jr. The 23-membered Commission will be greeted by University Vice President for Public Affairs Robert K. Durkee, who will note Princeton's significant links to the war, including the four months in 1783 that Nassau Hall served as the Capitol of the United States.

The Commission was established by Gov. Christie Whitman in July to plan and coordinate state events, from 2001 through 2008, that celebrate and increase awareness of New Jersey's crucial role in the American Revolutionary War. The Commission also will work with local communities and others involved in such events. Among its duties, it is charged with planning a special observance, on Sept. 3, 2008, to mark the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the Revolutionary War.

Nassau Hall served as the nation's Capitol after mutinous American troops forced the Continental Congress to flee Philadelphia. The site was chosen primarily because Continental Congress President Elias Boudinot had grown up in Princeton.

Several significant events happened during these months, from June to November, 1783, including commendation of George Washington for his conduct in war; the receipt of word that the Treaty of Paris had been signed and the receipt of the first foreign minister accredited to the independent United States, Peter John van Berkel from the Netherlands. Nassau Hall also served as the meeting site of New Jersey's first State Legislature, in 1776, and was used, at different times, as a barracks and hospital during the Revolutionary War.

There will be limited public seating for the meeting, which will be held in the Faculty Room of Nassau Hall on campus. For more information, contact Lauren Robinson-Brown, University Communications, 609-258-3601, or Mike Kinney, Department of State, 609-777-2533.